Over 120 student teams from all across Asia, Middle East and Africa have arrived in Manila to put their self-built fuel-efficient vehicles to the test on a street circuit in the heart of Manila, Philippines. As Shell Eco-marathon enters its 30th year globally, the sixth Asian edition of the student innovation competition welcomes new entrants from Australia, Bangladesh, Oman and Saudi Arabia for the first time in its history.

A public festival celebrating innovative thinking and future mobility, Shell Eco-marathon will be held for the second time at a specially designed street circuit in Manila. Student teams are challenged to stretch the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real world urban environment, and winners are determined by the mileage achieved on a litre of fuel, rather than speed. Last year’s competition saw Team How Much Ethanol from Panjavidhya Technological College Thailand drive 2,730km on a litre of ethanol – the equivalent distance from Manila to Jakarta.

Competing on home soil are 29 teams from the Philippines’ top engineering schools. They will be racing alongside students from universities, colleges and technical institutes across 16 other countries; including teams that will make their debut at the competition this year.

Student teams may participate in the Prototype or UrbanConcept vehicle categories of the competition. The Prototype category will see student teams entering cars of the future – streamlined vehicles focused on maximising fuel efficiency through innovative design elements, such as drag reduction. The UrbanConcept category will focus on more “roadworthy” fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the higher-mileage cars seen on the roads today. A total of more than 120 vehicles – composed of Prototype and UrbanConcept models – have been entered for this year’s competition.

For both Prototype and UrbanConcept categories, teams may enter vehicles using any of the following energy types: gasoline, diesel, alternative gasoline (ethanol 100), alternative diesel (Shell Gas-to-Liquid or fatty acid methyl ester), battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a new energy type introduced for the 2015 competition. Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015 will see three teams use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as source of energy for their vehicles. Results for the electrically-powered vehicles are expressed in km per kilowatt hour (km/kWh), and in km per litre (km/l) for the other energy types. Students will have the freedom to exercise their creativity in technical and design aspects, with the condition that all vehicles entered meet specific safety rules.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015 will see 24 On-Track awards with prize money of US$2,000 and US$1,000 for Winners and Runners up in both Prototype and UrbanConcept categories. In addition, teams will also be vying for six Off-Track awards: Communications, Vehicle Design, Technical Innovation, Safety, Perseverance and Spirit of the Event and Shell Helix Tribology Award. The Shell Helix Tribology Award is an off-track award that recognises student teams that demonstrate the use of lubrication engineering principles to improve the fuel efficiency result of their vehicles.

The flag-off ceremony for the student competition will be held on 27 February at the historic Luneta Park, while the closing ceremony and awards presentation will be held on 1 March at Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel.

This year also marks the second edition of the Shell Powering Progress Together Forum at Shell Eco-marathon Asia, where more than 300 delegates from government, business and civil society gather to discuss challenges and potential solutions surrounding global energy, water and food resources. It runs alongside Shell Eco-marathon and features eminent speakers from the Philippines and beyond.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015 features educational exhibits that explore what the world and cities might look like in the future. Visitors will be able to access a live fan zone that allows them to get close to the track, learn more about the challenge, grab a bite to eat and possibly meet celebrity drivers and personalities. Another addition to this year’s Shell Eco-marathon is the Fact or Fiction Challenge, which will include an interactive mythbusting demonstration and celebrity driving challenge.

Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015 is held in partnership with the Philippine Government: Department of Tourism, the City of Manila and the National Parks and Development Council. Private sector partners are Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Globe Business, Nestle Philippines, Unilever Philippines, Hyundai, S.E.A. Olympus and Isla LPG Corporation.

For more information on all Shell Eco-marathon events across the globe, including official rules, instructions for registration and details on prizes, please visit the Shell Eco-marathon website at www.shell.com/ecomarathon.

Full list of participating teams as of 26 February 2015.

No.

Country/Territory

No. of Teams

1

Australia

2

2

Bangladesh

1

3

Brunei Darussalam

4

4

Egypt

4

5

India

11

6

Indonesia

23

7

Japan

1

8

Malaysia

14

9

Oman

3

10

Pakistan

6

11

Philippines

29

12

Qatar

2

13

Saudi Arabia

2

14

Singapore

3

15

Thailand

10

16

United Arab Emirates

3

17

Vietnam

9

-

Total

127

NOTE TO EDITORS:

To download the video news release for Day 1 at Shell Eco-marathon Asia, please visit the following URL:

About Shell Eco-marathon

Shell Eco-marathon began in 1939 at a Shell research laboratory in the United States as a friendly wager between scientists to see who could get the most miles per gallon from their vehicle. The winner of that contest barely achieved 50 mpg (21 km/l), and from these humble origins, a more organized competition evolved. In 1985 in France, Shell Eco-marathon as we know it today was born. In April 2007, Shell Eco-marathon Americas event was launched in the United States, and in 2010, the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia was held in Malaysia. Malaysia hosted Shell Eco-Marathon Asia until 2013. Since 2014, the event is being held in Manila, Philippines, which will continue to host the event until 2016.